Devil in Disguise
by ericaj318
Summary: Gabriel Lorca entered our universe with a plan but what if someone altered his thoughts and caused him to wonder if he should change his plan? Lorca/OC A/N: Some moments lead towards an 'M' rating. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

"Don't go, Gabriel," Skylar pleaded as the two were getting dressed in his cabin, "I have a really bad feeling about this mission."

Lorca smiled tenderly at his ship's junior doctor, placing his hands on her arms, "Nothing bad is going to happen. I'll be back in two days. You can make it that long without me, can't you?"

"I can try," she replied, "Or, I could go with you."

Lorca shook his head, "It's a simple mission and I'll be right back. Plus, I need you here to keep an eye on things," he added as he leaned down and placed a small kiss on her forehead.

Skylar backed up and nodded, "I can do that for you but you be careful, deal? How long before you have to leave?" she asked with a devious smile crossing her lips.

Lorca looked at her, an eyebrow raised, as he pulled her into his arms, "I think I have a few minutes for you," he whispered before he took her mouth with his own.

Skylar leaned into his kiss as he walked her back to his bed, laying her down gently before climbing over top of her. She gingerly undid his uniform and slid it off over his shoulders before turning to her own clothes.

Lorca left soon after they finished and Skylar resumed her position in the medbay with Dr. Culber.

"How was your goodbye?" Hugh asked once he saw Sklar walk in the room.

She shrugged in return, "Eventful but I still can't shake my bad feeling about where he's going."

"You have every right to worry," Hugh replied, adding to her concern, "He is the Captain of the most feared ship in the war. He is definitely a target for the Klingons."

"Thanks for that," Skylar replied but was interrupted as Michael walked through the doors.

"Dr. Culber, I have some concerns regarding Ripper, can you come take a look?" she asked, always straight to business.

Hugh looked to Skylar before replying, worried she may need the distraction, as he replied, "Take Dr. Tate to check on the creature."

Skylar smiled gratefully at Hugh for the much needed distraction as she followed Michael out of the medbay, "What's going on with our little traveler?" she asked while the two women walked.

Michael turned to look at Skylar as she replied, "It seems that each jump is weakening him more and more but so far, I haven't been able to find a way to prove it and if we can't prove his distress, they'll keep making him jump."

"Poor guy," she added, "Well, I'm happy to do what I can. I know this travel is very important but if it's slowly destroying our guest then I can't accept it as a way to go forward."

"Agreed," Michael nodded as they resumed silence until they reached Ripper's home, well temporary home.

"Show me what's going on," Skylar initiated.

Michael moved forward and opened the forcefield that allowed Ripper to be kept captive. The creature moved forward just barely before it recoiled further back into his cell due to the light. "His species is naturally sensitive to the light but since we've begun making these jumps, his symptoms become worse. I have been giving him spores to help alleviate his suffering but it's not enough," she explained.

"Do we know anything about his anatomy that would give us a clue into how badly the jumps are affecting him?" Skylar asked, moving closer to the creature.

Michael shook her head, "I wish we knew more but Ripper is so rare we have only just been able to guess how he works with the spore network."

"It's clear that his behavior indicates he isn't as healthy as he was when we first brought him on board," she began, "It's my recommendation that we suspend all spore jumps until we can fully understand what effect Ripper is having from our work. Would you like to join me in informing Saru?" she asked.

"I don't know how receptive he'll be to me but as I'm the one the Captain chose to work with Ripper there isn't a way where I can't," she thought outloud, "Should we observe Ripper for one full day together before we start a potential panic?"

Skyler nodded, "That's a very good idea. Let me go get some items from medbay and my tablet to document what we witness."

* * *

The following morning, Michael and Skylar woke in Lorca's room of treasures having fallen asleep watching Ripper through the day and night. They discovered that the jumps were in fact slowly killing the creature and if they made even one more jump, it could be Ripper's last.

"Ready to face Saru with our news?" Skylar asked as she smoothed her hair, "By the way, it was nice getting to work with you, I think we're going to be good friends," she added with a smile.

Michael smiled back, "I agree with you and yes, we have no choice but to inform Saru that we're killing Ripper and we need to find another way to make the jumps or we won't be able to make them anymore."

Skylar nodded and they got up and made their way to the bridge where the sliding doors on the elevator opened to reveal the bridge. Saru turned at the sound and visibly frowned when he saw Michael.

"Burnham and Tate, what are you two doing on the bridge?" he asked as acting Captain in Lorca's absence.

"Sir, we need to speak with you regarding the tardigrade and his ability to continue aiding us with our jumps," Skylar began, "Burnham brought his condition to my attention yesterday and after twenty-four hours of observation, I concur that we can not use the creature to make any further jumps. We need to meet with Lieutenant Stamets about finding another way," she finished as Michael stepped forward.

"Saru, I know that this news is terrible for our future in the war but Starfleet regulations don't allow us to harm any living creature for our gain. May we go to engineering and find another way?" Michael asked, the entire bridge watching as Saru reacted to her.

"We may not have a choice as we've just been informed that the Captain has been taken prisoner by Klingons but you have until we need to jump to find another way," he ordered as Skylar took in the news without letting out the emotional reaction she was experiencing inside.


	2. Chapter 2

"Stamets," Michael and Skylar announced to get their scientist's attention.

"What could the two of you be doing here together?" he asked as he immediately put up his guard.

"We have reason to believe that the jumps are harming the tardigrade and we need to find another way to do it," Michael announced, taking the lead which Skylar was grateful for since all she could think about was Lorca's safety and knowing she may have signed his death warrant by advocating for Ripper.

Stamet's shook his head, "We have tried a dozen different ways after large timeframes of research and now, you're telling me that when we may need to jump at a moment's notice, we need to find another way?"

Michael nodded, "Another jump could kill Ripper."

"If we have to sacrifice the tardigrade to save our Captain then I would think that is a noble way to go out," he replied.

Skylar shook her head as she moved forward and spoke, "I'm the last one to advocate against saving Captain Lorca as I have a different interest in his rescue then everyone else but I have to agree with Michael. Ripper will not survive another jump and it would haunt me forever to know I allowed his execution. Can you please help us find another way?" she pleaded, a small hint of the emotions she was struggling with surfacing.

Stamet's felt for her as he would feel a similar struggle if it was Hugh they needed to save, "I will do my best but if the time comes and we haven't found another way, we jump. Agreed?"

Michael and Skylar looked at each other before reluctantly nodding. Skylar stepped back, "I'm going to get Hugh, he may be able to aid us in this impossible task."

Michael and Stamets nodded as Tilly joined the team after the debate and they began pouring over their research as if they didn't have the tardigrade.

Skylar walked into medbay, breathing a sigh of relief to see Hugh wasn't occupied, "Dr. Culber, we could use your assistance to find a new way to use the spore drive. Do you have time?"

Hugh turned at her voice, pity visible on his face, "I would be more then happy to help but are you doing ok?" he asked, comfortingly.

Skylar took a deep breath, "I'm ok for now as long as we're working toward a way to save him. You know I would do everything i could to help you get Paul back if it was the other way around, right?"

"Of course, Sweetie," he replied tenderly, "What can I do to help in your work?"

Skylar explained that the tardigrade couldn't make the jumps anymore but that the ship would need to make several jumps in Klingon space to save Lorca and he immediately understood her conflicting emotions. After she told him everything she knew so far, he grabbed her hand and led her out of medbay.

"If anyone can find another way, it's Paul," he comforted her as they walked back to the Spore drive to help in the search for an alternate way to make jumps.

When they reached the team, Tilly was presenting an idea to make a computer Ripper to trick the system.

"That's what I was trying to do before we found Ripper and it only allowed us to make small jumps but now, I understand why," Paul replied.

"What have you just discovered?" Michael asked as Skylar and Hugh joined at the station where the team was hard at work.

Paul grinned before he explained, "What I was missing before was the fact that the network Ripper travels is a living thing and therefore, we need another living thing to allow us to navigate the network."

"What kind of substitute are you imagining?" Hugh asked, his own concerns evident.

"Nothing yet but we can run a systematic trial through our database to find another viable species to put the tardigrade DNA into," Paul replied.

Tilly started the computer search, "Let's see if we can find a way to trick the network with another species."

Time passed as the computer ran through different options until it came back with one option and one only, humans.

"We need to use a person?" Skylar asked as she saw the results populate.

Hugh was the next to comment, "That can't happen. If the jumps are harming the tardigrade then I can only imagine what it would do to a person. We need to get back to the drawing board."

"We are more advanced then the tardigrade so the side effects would most likely affect us only in slightly little ways," Michael added.

Before anyone could continue the debate, Saru entered the room, "Why is the spore drive offline?"

Stamets was quick to explain, "Burnham told me that the jumps are negatively affecting the tardigrade and we are working on another way to connect to the drive. We've found one viable option."

"Burnham came to me with this same concern and I told her that she could investigate after we found our Captain which she clearly did not like," Saru replied, disgusted, "Now, prepare the tardigrade to make a jump."

"Sir, we can use a human instead and not harm the tardigrade any longer," Skylar announced knowing if the words came from Michael, they'd be even less well received.

Saru's face contorted into a look of disgust beyond what any of them had seen before, "Trials like that on a human are strictly prohibited and you are all to follow my orders. Do you understand?"

Michael was about to reply but stopped as she saw Skylar shake her head.

The jump put the tardigrade into an extreme state of shock but it did allow the Discovery to find Lorca's location.

"We can't use Ripper again to get out of Klingon space," Skylar announced as she looked at the creature with heartbreak in her voice and eyes, "Put the DNA in me and I can go in there to make the next jump," she volunteered.

"Lorca would kill us," Hugh shook his head, "You and Michael are the last two people we could possibly put in there," he disagreed.

Tilly moved forward, "Let me do it."

"No, Lieutenant Tilly," Paul protested, "I'm the only who knows the network well enough to make the jump with the DNA in my system."

Hugh began to fight the idea but Paul was too quick to inject himself and absorb the potential ability to activate the spore drive, himself.

"Why did you do that?" Skylar asked, "None of us can ask you to make a sacrifice like that. We don't know what this will do to your system or what affects the jump will have."

"I can handle it," Paul replied, "I feel it."

"Saru to Stamets," the comm chirped to life, "We found the Captain and we're about to beam him aboard. Are we prepared to jump?"

Stamets nodded to Skylar, "Go to the transporter room and greet him," he said before replying, "We will be ready to jump."

Skylar raced out of engineering, through the halls, to the transporter room where she waited for Lorca to appear on the pads in front of her. Her heart was beating through her chest as she waited but after a few moments that felt like eons, the transporter lights appeared and then Lorca appeared with another man who dropped once they were fully on board.

Skylar moved toward Lorca but she was stopped briefly to allow him to check on the stranger as he ordered, "Make the jump now!"

"Who is that?" Skylar asked as she switched into doctor mode and moved to asses the man, noticing immediately he'd been stabbed. Her attention was also brought to Lorca's face which was heavily beat up.

"His name is Ash Tyler," Lorca replied as he gave her a subtle smile to assure her he was ok, "Help me get him to the medbay."

"Or course, Captain," she replied as she took half of Tyler's weight and they got him to a bed where Skylar could begin to tend to his wounds.

"Take a seat," she said to Gabriel, "I'll patch you up once I'm done with him. Do you have any injuries other then what I can see?"

Lorca shook his head, "They went after my sensitivity to light more then anything else," he informed her then laughed softly, "I suppose I should have listened to you when you said you had a bad feeling about this mission."

"You'll learn one day to take my advice seriously," she replied wishing she could embrace him instantly.

Once she had Tyler stabilized, she moved over to Lorca where she was finally able to pull him to her, his head resting against her chest in her embrace, "I was so scared I was going to lose you," she whispered.

He pulled away moments later, "You can't get rid of me that easily," he smirked as she began to clean up his wounds.


	3. Chapter 3

After Lorca was cleared for command after his abduction, the missions continued. One night as Skylar rolled off of Lorca, she turned to look at him, "Do you think I could stay tonight?"

"Your cabin isn't that far away," he replied which was a protest to her request without blatantly shutting her down.

"I know that, Gabriel but it's late and I would really like to sleep next to you," she admitted, trailing her hand along his chest as she spoke.

Lorca shook his head, "You know we can only allow the small about of emotional intimacy we've allowed and we can't become too invested in each other. Our jobs are too dangerous, I know you've learned that recently, and we have to be smart about this," he explained, attempting to be gently with his rejection.

Skylar stood from the bed and began putting her uniform on before she looked at him, "I have had the opposite reaction to recent events and that is that I want more. We don't know how much time we have and I want to spend as much of mine with you as I can," she retaliated, her blood boiling at his continued protests to upgrading their relationship to the next step.

"Sky," he coaxed as he sat up, his chest glowing in the starlight, "I understand what you're after but I am not the man who can give it to you. My past doesn't allow me the luxury of the level of intimacy you're looking for. I'm sorry," he tried to clarify his position.

"You can open yourself up, you just choose not to," she replied venomously, "But, if you really insist that I can't get what I need from you then I will get it elsewhere," she threatened as she turned and left his cabin hoping he'd follow but knowing, in her heart, that this moment would be their ending.

Skylar got to her room and she was too upset to cry as she laid down and crashed, too exhausted to even dream.

The days past without any interaction between Gabriel and Skylar that wasn't necessary for their work and it became more and more clear that he really wouldn't open up to her no matter how hard he tried.

"Tate," his voice shook her from her thoughts as she sat at her desk in medbay, "I need you on the bridge."

"Understood," she replied, "On my way, Captain," she added causing Hugh to give her a look of disapproval.

"Don't judge me," she warned him, "If he doesn't want more out of us then he will get the most icy doctor he's ever met," she raged as Hugh shrugged and she made her way to the bridge.

She arrived on the bridge moments later, "Captain Lorca, you requested my presence," she announced herself.

Lorca stood from his chair and looked at her, the bags under his eyes visible to her suddenly, "We are embarking on a rescue mission for Vulcan Ambassador Sarek, he was supposed to meet with the Klingons to negotiate peace but it appears something has happened. You are to work with Michael and be prepared for anything to save him," he explained his orders.

Skylar wanted to move forward and check on him but she resisted her urge and nodded, "Where is Burnham?" she asked.

"You'll find her in her quarters," he replied, "That is all."

She wanted to fire back a comment at his dismissal of her but she chose to rise above his actions and leave the bridge without another word as she made her way to Michael's room.

* * *

After Discovery rescued Sarek, Skylar took a much needed break and excused herself to her quarters.

As she sat, sipping a glass of wine, her doors slipped open to reveal Gabriel entering.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, her tone sarcastic as she took a large sip of her drink.

He wasn't surprised by her attitude as he moved toward her, taking a seat on her sofa next to her, "I've missed you and this mission has shown me that maybe I have been wrong and if you'll still have me, I'd like to open up and let down my walls," he offered, the largest gesture he'd ever made towards her.

"I know you slept with Cornwell while she was on board," she replied, a little more tipsy then she'd expected to be, "So, you tried things out with someone else and decided I was good enough, now?"

He placed his hand on her knee, "I wasn't going to hide that from you," he began, "Kate and I have history and in my weakness because of what I did to you, I turned to her but I knew I wanted to give you what you want before that happened," he confessed.

"Gabriel," she started, her voice just above a whisper, "I don't know how much more I can take. This isn't the first time you've hurt me and I keep coming back. It might finally be time for me to think about myself as much as I want to give in," she admitted, looking away.

"I can't do this without you, Sky," he pleaded, "I've been an idiot and I've thrown away chance after chance to be what you need me to be out of fear but I'm over that fear. What can I do to prove my genuine desires to you?" he asked, looking down because he knew how right she was in her reasons to stay away.

After silence passed, Skylar turned her face back to him, a small tear visible on her cheek, "Stay tonight and we won't have sex. We will just sleep together and you will start to confide in me instead of holding everything inside. All I've ever wanted is to be there for you the way I'm supposed to and that is how you can prove you'll let me in. If that doesn't sound impossible then maybe we can do this," she stated her conditions.

Gabriel nodded as he pulled away and leaned back into the other corner of the couch, letting out a large sigh, "Are you really sure you want me to tell you all of my problems? A Starfleet captain comes with a lot of baggage and you might be biting off more then you can chew," he turned her terms on her but he had a grin crossing his lips, letting her know he was in.

She nodded as she moved to lay on him, her head on his chest, "Tell me what's going on in that head of yours," she invited him to begin.

He smiled at the feeling of her body on his, though he knew he would end up hurting her much worse then he ever had eventually. He shook off the conscience suddenly trying to help him make decision since she'd come into his life and began, "Kate has been taken hostage by the Klingons and Starfleet ordered us to hold off on a rescue mission. Normally, I'd go against their orders for a friend however, Kate was here to take the ship from me for doing that exact thing for Sarek and I am forced to listen now which is killing me," he revealed.

"Could a team take a shuttle after her without endangering the whole crew?" she asked as her eyelids grew heavy from the soothing feeling of his heartbeat and his steady breathing.

He shook his head as he began running his hand over her wavy hair, "I've gone rouge one too many times and now, I'm paying the price," he revealed before the pair fell asleep together on the sofa for the first time for the entire night.


	4. Chapter 4

"Gabriel, we have to get to work," Skylar giggled as he assaulted her with kisses over her neck and chest under the sheets in his bed, "You know I can only stay strong against your assault for so long," she revealed, wavering in her will to stop him and go to work.

He stopped and looked at her, the sheet on his head and a large grin on his lips, "I think as the Captain, I can authorize us to be a little late for the day's work. Now, can you please stop fighting?" he requested huskily before disappearing under the covers, moving lower and lower with his lips and tongue.

He reached his goal causing her to arch her back and move her hips up toward him, "If this is a direct order then who am I to argue," she whispered as she writhed in pleasure from each small movement he made.

As she was about to reach her moment, Gabriel removed his mouth and appeared back at the top of the bed to see her, cheeks red and angry, "Did you still want me to stop so we can get to work?" he teased.

"You're evil," she replied as she moved her hips up and forward, sliding him into her, "Too bad I'm just as good," she smiled slyly as she began bucking her hips enjoying his face above hers as his eyes closed in pleasure.

Later that morning, after a few more meetings, Gabriel and Skylar reported to their positions. Hugh smiled as she entered the medbay, "You're late but I'm gonna let it slide since you appear to be so happy that an admonishment most likely wouldn't even phase you," he stated with a coy smile.

"I had a pretty amazing morning," she replied as she began to go over their charts from the past week, "How are things in your corridors?" she changed the subject and flipped the conversation onto his love life.

Hugh shook his head, "I wish my answer had as many smiles as yours does but we're having a few issues in my house," he revealed.

"What's going on?" she was immediately concerned and a little guilty over her happiness, "You know you can talk to me about anything," she reminded him.

Hugh took a deep breath before he explained, "The spore drive is taking a toll on Paul and if I'm being honest, I think there are other side effects happening to him that he isn't telling me about. He is being so secretive that it worries me more," he acknowledged, "He is protective of his work, which I understand, but it seems like he is at a point where he is willing to suffer anything mental or physical to continue experiencing the network."

"Hugh, why haven't you told me? I would be happy to check on him and see if he might be more willing to open up or I could talk to Tilly," she offered, "She won't put together that I'm doing it for you and I know for a fact I can get her talking."

Hugh shook his head, "I really appreciate that but I'm going to wait a little longer and let Paul come to me. I don't want him to feel attacked and if I can be patient then it may gain me a little more trust when it comes to his secrets," he replied.

Skylar nodded as a barrage of crewmembers began coming into medbay as Code Red sounded throughout the ship.

"Medbay to bridge," Skylar said into the comm.

"Lorca here," his voice was tense, "What can I do for you?"

"What's going on? We're fielding a sudden inflow of injuries just as the Code Red began," she replied hoping for a hint as to what she and Hugh could expect.

"We flew in to help a ship under attack but the cloaking mechanism is giving the Klingons the upper hand. Prepare to receive anything," he finished.

"Understood," she replied, "Medbay out," she closed the comm as she jumped into action with Hugh to take care of the injured some minor while others were extremely major.

* * *

Skylar ventured to the bridge after stabilizing the injured crew members to find out what the ship's status is.

"Permission to come on the bridge?" Skylar asked once the lift doors opened.

Gabriel turned to see her and nodded, "Granted. How are the injured?" he asked, concern only evident to her as he spoke.

"There were no casualties and Dr. Culber and I have stabilized all crewmen injured during the attack," she replied, "May I ask what happened to make this ship vulnerable?"

He looked at her, pain in his eyes, "We were caught off guard by the cloaking devices used by the Klingons. There is a landing party working to turn off a transmission from a planet below that is blocking our abilities."

"Should we have sent a medical officer with the landing party in case of incident?" she asked.

"The mission is straightforward and there was no need to put anyone else at risk, Doctor Tate. Was there anything else?" he asked, attempting not to show any favoritism and treat her inquiries the same as anyone elses.

She shook her head, "No Captain, please let me know if there is anything else we can do in our department to help facilitate the mission," she replied before leaving the bridge and reporting back to medbay to await her next orders and check on her many patients.


	5. Chapter 5

"Dr. Culber, we can begin discharging patients with minor injuries to make room for others who may arrive," Skylar announced as the day neared an end.

Hugh nodded as the two got back to work and began releasing patients until they had only critical cases left.

"I don't know about you but I'm very glad it's time for the shift change," Skylar announced, "I haven't been this tired since my residency."

Hugh nodded in agreement until Paul walked in through the doors, "What are you doing here?" Hugh asked.

Paul revealed, "We are defying Starfleet orders and in order to do that we have to make them believe our spore drive isn't running perfectly. The Captain has sent me down for a full check up."

Skylar raised an eyebrow at Hugh with a little smile, "Do you want me to stay and assist?"

Hugh shook his head, "No, go get some rest. I can handle this one on my own."

She nodded before leaving the medbay and making her way to Gabriel's quarters. She knocked on the door once she arrived.

"Come in," she heard his voice through the door and walked in, not surprised to see him looked over a map.

"What are you working on?" she asked as she began to look over his charts.

He grabbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment before replying, "Burnham has a plan to beam aboard the Klingon sarcophagus and place sensors so we can locate them even under their cloak. The theory is that if we jump 133 times we can take out their ship, possibly bring an end to this war and save the species on the planet who helped us."

"That's a lot," she replied, "No wonder you look so stressed. Paul is have reactions to the spore drive," she began, "I'm not sure he could handle all of those jumps and the beaming plan sounds extremely dangerous as well," she said, honestly.

Gabriel shook his head, "I know but sometimes to win the war, you have to make some seemingly insane decisions. How was your day?" he asked, changing the subject.

She took a deep breath in through her nose, "I haven't had a day this rough in a very long time and I am ready to drop," she admitted, "If you don't mind, I think I'm just going to crash."

"I'll meet you in my bed later on," he smiled, walking toward her and grabbing her hand to lead her to his room. He helped her into the bed before leaning down and placing his lips gently to hers, "Get some rest. I love you," he said for the first time.

"I love you too, Gabriel," she replied with a smile, "Did you mean to say that or did it slip as a natural response?" she had to ask because of how surprised his words made her.

"I would never say those words if I didn't mean them," he smiled down at her before dimming the lights, "Now get some sleep and I'll be in soon," he disappeared, she imagined to convince Stamets to make the jumps.

Skylar fell asleep instantly but she woke not long after, nauseated. She stood from the bed to orient herself as she took deep breaths trying to make the sick feeling go away. She looked back at the bed and saw Gabriel wasn't there yet which she was grateful for in the moment as she realized she was going to lose the battle with her nausea and raced for the bathroom.

Once she was done being sick, she sat back against the wall in the bathroom and took a few deep breaths, "How did I catch a bug?" she said to herself as she heard a knock on the door.

"Sky, are you ok in there?" she heard Gabriel's voice, "It sounded like you were getting sick."

She took a deep breath and stood and walked out of the bathroom to see his concerned eyes looking back at her, "I did get sick," she admitted, "I must have caught a bug. I should go back to my room so I don't get it to you," she offered, her nausea still strong.

Gabriel shook his head, "That's nonsense," he helped her back to the bed before he wet a rag with cool water and placed it on her forehead. He then climbed into the bed with her, "I am not going to let you wander the halls in this condition plus, I'm not gonna get much sleep while my crew is preparing for my insane mission," he revealed.

"You got Stamets on board?" she asked as she turned her head to face him, absorbing each line on his face.

"I had to appeal to the scientist in him but it worked," he revealed, "In three hours, Burnham and Tyler are going to beam onto the Sarcophagus while we begin making the jumps to defend ourselves and distract them."

"Can I be on the bridge for that moment?" she asked, intrigued by the idea of taking the Klingons out so deviously.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, "If you're not still getting sick by that point then you can. Let's get some rest," he said before the two fell asleep before the biggest moment of their mission would hopefully happen.


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you feeling better?" Gabriel asked as he woke her, "I don't like the idea of anyone throwing up on my bridge," he teased.

"I feel completely better," she replied, "I guess it was something I ate. Is it time to begin the mission?" she asked, unable to hide her excitement.

He grinned down at her as he nodded, "You need to cut back on your enthusiasm just a tad or we won't be able to leave this bed," he revealed causing her to smile.

"Then I guess I should get out of here," she said as she stood, "I'll meet you on the bridge after I clean up," she revealed as she began to take off her clothes on the way to the shower.

"You're being a terrible tease," he whined before groaning in frustration as he too got up but made his way to the bridge instead of joining Sky like he wanted to.

Skylar got ready in record time before she made her way to the bridge and took a spot out of the way to watch Gabriel's plan unfold.

She held tight as Lorca gave the order to begin the jump sequence and allowing the Discovery to fire on the ship multiple times from all directions.

"Stamets, you can do this," Lorca said over the comm, "Just ninety-six more jumps and we'll have the data we need."

As the jumps continued, Hugh came over the comm to request an abort, "He's not going to make it," he revealed.

Skylar walked over to Lorca, "I'll go down there and keep him calm while Paul completes the jumps," she offered gaining a nod of approval from him as she raced down to engineering.

She walked in to see Hugh nervously pacing, "He's going to make it," she assured him as she jumped into action to assist he and Tilly in any way she could.

They worked rapidly as they were within the last fifteen jumps, "We're almost there," Tilly announced, "just ten more now."

"Hugh, he's beginning to regulate again," Sky stated as she read over the vitals, "I think he knows we're almost done too."

"Crew of the Discovery, this is your Captain," Lorca's voice echoed throughout the ship, "We are beaming our crewmen back aboard the ship and we are about to blow up the main ship in the Klingon's army. Good work, everyone. When this is over, we are headed back to base 46 for a well deserved break. Stand by," he finished before he signed off and Tilly initiated the last jump.

After the ship stabilized, Hugh opened the chamber to get Paul out and to the team's relief, he was ok.

"I'm never jumping again," Paul said as he took deep breaths to regulate his breathing.

Lorca appeared in the room, "How is our engineer?" he asked.

"He's stabilizing well, Captain," Tilly replied, "We got the data we needed."

Lorca nodded, "We did great work and this room of people along with Tyler and Burnham are to thank. The Klingons are coming this way in full force so we are headed to base as I promised. Thank you," he announced.

"Captain," Paul began, "I can make one more jump to get the crew to safety and then I am done."

"I can't ask you to do that," Lorca replied gaining an appreciative smile from Skylar, "You have done enough."

"I won't risk the Klingons getting us after all we've done," Paul replied, "I will make this last jump and then I retire because I need the best doctors in Starfleet to look me over."

"Understood," Lorca replied, "I'll prepare the crew."

Lorca disappeared and Tilly got Paul back in the chamber to make the journey home for his last jump.

"He'll be ok," Skylar reassured Hugh, "He just did 133 so one simple jump is nothing," she stated with a smile.

"Are you ready with the spore drive?" Lorca asked through the comm.

"We're good," Tilly replied as the ship went to Code Black and began the jump.

As the ship began the jump, Paul screamed out in pain and doubled over in the compartment.

"Tilly, what's going on?" Skylar asked as Hugh was already in the chamber evaluating Paul.

"The computer is registering it as an incomplete jump," she replied confused as she moved to check on Paul with Hugh.

"Hugh, do you have this?" Skylar asked, "I want to go to the bridge and see what happened or at least see if they know anymore."

"I'm good," Hugh replied waving her on.

Skylar raced out of engineering to the bridge where she stepped on board without request, "Where are we?" she asked as she looked out the main screen to see wreckage all around.

"We're trying to figure that out right now," Lorca replied, "Our coordinates are right but nothing else is. How's Stamets?"

"He's in a catatonic state," she informed him regretfully as the nausea from the night before came over her again.

Lorca noticed the sudden change in her color and the way she carried herself but he couldn't check on her, at least not in this moment.

"What do we know?" Lorca asked, looking to Burnham and Saru.

"Everything here is reading normal but it's all just slightly off," Saru replied, "It's almost as if a different wavelength exists where we are."

"That was my thought as well," Michael agreed, "The hulls of all these ships are registering as ships we know but they are all also off."

Skylar grasped the wall behind her as the nausea added dizziness to her symptoms causing Lorca to move toward her, "Doctor Tate, are you feeling alright?"

Skylar tried to nod but it made her feel even worse as she sank down to the floor, joined by Lorca even though the entire crew on the bridge was watching.

"Sky, what's going on?" he whispered.

She shook her head, "I just don't feel well but you should get back to the problem at hand," she forced herself to speak though each word caused her queasiness to be worse.

"Saru, I'm going to take the Doctor to medbay," he began as he wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her to stand, "If we figure out anything else, hail me."

"Yes, Captain," Saru replied.

"You didn't need to do that," she began once they were in the lift.

"Sky, you aren't well and if I'm going to treat you how you deserve to be treated then I don't deserve you, now stop being stubborn," he ordered before he began to look her over.

"Yes sir," she replied before she coughed softly and then threw up on the floor, her body shaking as she lost whatever was inside her. Lorca held her tightly as she continued to get sick before his comm chirped.

"Lorca here, what is it?" he asked once she was calmed down.

"Sir, we believe we are in a parallel universe where everything is almost as it was in our world but different in dangerous ways," Burnham replied.

"Do we have any leads on how to get back or how to survive here?" he replied.

"I believe we can get a main computer off of one of the ships in this wreckage we can learn about this world and try to acclimate until we find our way home," she answered.

"Begin and I'll be back soon," he answered as he hung up and looked at Skylar, "What's going on with you? Are you feeling any better now?" he asked, multiple questions falling from his mouth.

She nodded as the lift stopped, "I will be. Thank you for being so caring but you need to get back to the bridge," she stated, "I'll be ok on my own from now."

He began to shake his head until she put up a finger to his lips, grateful for self cleaning floors after what she'd done to the lift, "I'm good. I'll see you in your cabin later on."

"Find out what's wrong," he agreed as he disappeared in the lift and she headed to medbay.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hugh, how is he?" Skylar asked as she entered the room.

"He's in and out and his entire brain has been taking over by white matter," he replied before he noticed how pale she was, "Are you doing alright?"

Skylar shrugged, "I've been sick off an one for the past day or so, wanna just give me a once over with bloodwork?"

"Of course," he replied moving forward to take a blood sample from her, "Take a seat and maybe close your eyes while I run this."

Skylar nodded as she sat down on one of the hospital beds hoping the rest of the crew was successful in figuring out what was going on.

Time passed and Skylar began to fade to sleep until Hugh tapped her shoulder, "Skylar, sorry to wake you."

She shook her head, "No, it's no problem. Did my blood work show anything to explain what's going on with me?" she asked, hoping for a quick virus she could get over quickly.

"I'm glad you're sitting down," he replied as he moved his finger across the screen in his hands, "Your levels are good but your HCG is high which indicates to me that you are pregnant," he revealed.

Skylar closed her eyes, she had just gotten through to Gabriel, "Are you sure?" she asked, not upset about the baby itself but the potential for it to ruin her relationship.

"I ran it three times just to be sure," he replied, "Congratulations?" he asked before continuing, "I can get you a patch for the nausea so you'll be able to get back to your normal self but is there anything else you need?" he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I need you to say it was a virus," she replied, still trying to wrap her mind around the news, "I can't tell Gabriel because he and I just got where we are and I don't know how a baby fits into that picture, if it even does. Can you do that for me?" she asked.

"Of course," Hugh replied, "This is your medical record and I can't reveal it unless you authorize me to. Do you want the patch?"

"Please yes," she replied, "I can not do my work in any way the way I feel. Slap it on so I can go figure out what's going on."

Hugh nodded, placing a patch on her upper shoulder, "It's max dosage so if it doesn't work then I don't have another option."

"Thank you," she replied before she stood from the bed to go to Lorca and figure out where they were and what plan they might have come up with.

* * *

Skylar walked right into Lorca's ready room because she knew he was expecting her. She found him talking to Burnham.

"How are you feeling?" he asked when he saw her.

"I'm good now," Skylar replied, "It was just a virus. Have we figured out how we're going to get home?" she asked, ready to get into action now that the nausea no longer plagued her.

"We are going to act as our counterparts in this world as their Discovery disappeared when ours arrived," Michael began, "Another ship went to our world and if we can get on one of their ships then we can use the data to get home."

Skylar's eyes widened, "So, what's our play to get on the ship?"

"Tilly is the Captain here and I am believed dead," Michael continued, "killed by Lorca but we believe we can take back my ship the Shenzhou under the guise that he didn't kill me and I tracked him across the galaxy to bring him back and make him pay."

"Turns out my mirror self is not a very good guy," Lorca added, "We are about to get everyone in character so that we can sell this."

Skylar nodded, "Where is my counterpart?"

"She was on the Discovery as head of security," Lorca replied with the raise of an eyebrow.

"That is very unlike this me," Skylar laughed, "It looks like I'm going with you two then to make sure no one harms you."

Lorca began to shake his head but he knew she'd win the argument so he nodded, "That isn't a bad idea especially since Burnham has some concerns regarding Tyler's state of mind. Go get ready," he ordered.

Skylar nodded as she left the room and prepared for her journey to the Shenzhou while she weighed the pros and cons of telling Gabriel her news, this wasn't the most ideal time.

Skylar pulled up the file on her mirror self and saw that their Skylar wore her wavy hair straight and had bangs. She wasn't sure about the look but she had to match so she got to work until she looked exactly like the photo of her counterpart.

Once she was done, she left her room and headed back to Lorca's, knowing this may be their last moment alone for awhile.

* * *

Skylar walked into his room surprised to see him out of uniform in a black tee, jacket and normal pants, "I like that look on you," she said announcing her presence before adding, "Although, there will always be something irresistible about a man in uniform."

He turned to look at her, his face unable to hide his surprise at her appearance, "Bangs look good on you," he finally commented.

She shook her head and moved toward him, straddling him once she reached him, "We aren't going to be alone again for awhile so I just wanted to take advantage of that," she whispered, leaning into his ear before she kissed it, pulling his earlobe into her lips, smiling as she heard his breath catch.

"Shouldn't we wait until you feel better?" he asked, his hands resting on her hips.

"I told you that I'm all good," she replied as she eased back before placing her lips to his while he allowed his hands to travel up and grasp her face on both sides, deepening the kiss.

She sat back, "I read about what happens to prisoners on this Earth and I don't want you put into an agonizer," she revealed one of the concerns currently bouncing around in her mind.

"I can handle it," he replied simply before pulling her close once more, "Don't ruin our moment before we go to a place where we may not see each other for days."

"You make a good point," she smiled beginning their kiss once more.


	8. Chapter 8

Lorca, Burnham and Tate boarded the Shenzhou later that afternoon and Lorca was taken straight to the agonizers while Burnham left for the bridge.

"Officer Tate, please stay down here and ensure no one messes with my prisoner," Michael ordered before leaving.

Skylar nodded and swallowed as she realized she was going to be forced to watch Gabriel be tortured, indefinitely.

She stood next to the control desk as Lorca screamed in agony and she felt her nausea begin to return. After first, Skylar believed it was because of the scene in front of her but she learned after some time had passed, she knew it was because her patch didn't work properly in this universe.

She grasped the control grid next to her as she felt herself succumbing to the dizziness she'd experienced before. She took a deep breath as she sat down on the ground, closing her eyes unable to see that through his own agony, Gabriel was extremely concerned with her condition.

Skylar tried to take deep breaths but nothing was stopping the sickness she felt so she did the only thing she could think of. She stood, shakily, and stunned the other guard with her phaser before freeing Lorca from his agonizer and then she sunk back to the floor.

Lorca moved from the brutal chamber he was in and sat down next to her, "What's going on?" he asked, his voice shaky from the torture he had been undergoing.

Skylar tried to take a deep breath as she answered, "I guess I wasn't over the virus yet but I've jeopardized our entire mission to have you close," she admitted.

Gabriel shook his head, "No, you haven't, but I have," he replied, shivering as he spoke causing her to reach out and run her hands up and down his arms, "I have something to tell you and it's not going to make you like me."

"I already love you," she corrected him but was sad to see she received a frown and a shaking head from him, "What are you going to tell me?"

"I'm not the Lorca of your universe," he began his confession, "I did kill the Burnham here and then I escaped to your world where I appeared to be the lone survivor of my ship and I worked my way to the Discovery," he continued though he saw her face growing horrified, "I used the spore drive to come back here and I wanted to get us to the Emperor so that I could kill her once and for all," he clarified all his truths causing Skylar's nausea to increase with each word.

She tried to sound strong as she asked, "Why are you telling me now and what point to being with me serve in your plan?" before she looked down, unable to meet his eyes with her own.

Lorca inhaled deeply before replying to her questions, "You were never apart of my plan and now that I have you, my plan means nothing anymore. I'm telling you because I want you to get Burnham and get back to the Discovery. I know how to explain to you to get back and I will stay here and pay for what I've done. I don't deserve you."

"I don't know what to say to all of this, Gabriel," she began, "Your crimes aren't known to me and in my world you've been an honorable Starfleet captain. You can't stay here and die because I need you," she admitted, her weakness showing through.

Gabriel reached out his hands, though they were cuffed, and grasped her face in them, "How can you say that when I've told you what I've done? You wanted more from me and now, I've given you everything but you have to let me go. I don't deserve to come back as if nothing I've done has ever occured."

"I'm the only one who knows," she replied, looking into his eyes again, "And, I told you if you opened up to me, I would be here for you no matter what. You've never hurt me or anyone in our world so we will go back like none of this ever happened," she protested.

"You can not forgive me so easily," he countered, "Maybe it's the virus obscuring your ability to truly hear what I am saying."

Skylar shook her head, "I'm not sick, Gabriel."

"You're not?" his voice finally stabilizing, "Then what has been happening to you?"

"Since we're all being honest," she started, "It's only fair I do you the same justice. I'm pregnant," Skylar declared, fully acknowledging what she'd been going through, "I didn't want to tell you because you had just begun to open up and I didn't want to risk anything ruining that."

"Sky, we're having a baby?" he asked in disbelief causing her to nod, "I can't leave your side now not when my true life plan is unfolding before me but I don't want you to lie for me," he added his joy overshadowed by what he'd done.

"No one ever has to know and it's not a lie if I never have to mention any of it," she replied, holding his face now, her eyes tear filled, "In my world, you are a good man and we are going back right now to continue where we left off. Don't challenge me because you know I always get my way."

Gabriel shook his head before kissing her with every bit of himself before finally pulling back and looking into her eyes, wishing he was handcuffed so he could embrace her, "Let's go home."

The End


End file.
